The Following Contest ......

The following contest is set for 2011 with a time limit of one weekend and is for the 10th annual Induction ceremony for the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame. Nine annual inductions have come and gone. A seemingly infinite amount of work has gone into each year’s festivities. Like the greatest wrestlers of the past and present, out of the 1001 details taken care of prior to and during each induction ceremony, by far most were winners .. with a few draws …. and maybe even a loss now and then. But the effort was and is always there, and it’s always 100%. This has been said before, but it has to be said again. Many people have attempted a hall of fame over the years, but this is the first and only brick & mortar hall of fame dedicated solely to professional wrestling. Here are two great quotes about the PWHF .. The first by Stan Hansen .. "I just went out and did my job that I tried to do, bring the money home. But I never really tried to take myself too serious," he concluded. "But this has made me stop and pause, and because we are elected by our peers, it does mean something special, it does mean something. Thank you so much.” …. And the second by writer Greg Oliver … “In the end, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame really is about peers. The voting is conducted by historians, previous inductees and a select group of fellow wrestlers, making it the only true professional wrestling hall of fame in existence.”
So, prior to the 2011 Inductions, there will surely be a few preliminaries ….fundraising dinners … maybe a few autograph sessions …. But make no mistake about it .. the main event will most definitely be the 10th annual PWHF Induction weekend. The architect of all these induction ceremonies has been a virtual one man gang … a planner .. a producer … a director … a promoter …. a booker …. a worker .. a shooter and a champion. From the opening bell, the past nine inductions have been handled with the finesse of a Lou Thesz or a Jack Brisco. Leverage, psychology, skill, strength, endurance, diplomacy and experience all were utilized like the great ring generals of the past. So far, the Hall has withstood the test of time. The Hall is growing …. and it’s growing fast. There is so much more to do today than there was ten years ago. The war horse … the ring general … the man with the pencil … “the champ” …. is still going strong, but I think it’s time to offer him more than a pat on the back. I think it’s time for the champ to be afforded the opportunity to catch his breath once in a while. Maybe a tag team .. or a six man or eight man or ten man tag team. The champ would still lead the team, but he could also tag out from time to time. He would still be the undeniable leader and driving force of the team and always be there to take the hot tag. So I think this is a good idea. A pat on the back is always welcome, but it’s time for a few more of us to suit up and step between the ropes ... and give the old ring general a hand when he needs to “tag out” from time to time. We are all in this together. Long live the PWHF !!!
John Pantozzi